She saw past his scars – the ones inside as well as the one on his face – and even knowing just how broken he was, she wanted him anyway.
What if he let her down? He’d never had anyone in his life that he truly cared about. He didn’t know how to have a relationship or even how to be close to someone. His heart had been closed for so long - shutting himself off had been the only way to survive the loneliness, and now a large part of him believed he was no longer capable of any deep feelings.
But that was until earlier today. Somehow, Mercy had found a crack in his shored-up walls, and he very much feared she would keep pounding on them until she found a way in.
And God help him then.
***
‘Sir, it’s too late to visitthe Sail Loftthis evening. We have about three hours of daylight left. I don’t think it’s safe for us to be here once it gets dark. And we don’t know how long it will take us to get there.’ Percy was unusually insistent, and the Reverend hovered uncertainly.
‘The fellow said it was in the Tobacco Dock – that’s only fifteen minutes’ walk from here,’ the clergyman asserted, reluctant to abandon the search. ‘We’re close, Percy lad, I just know it.’ He pursed his lips, looking this way and that as though the lodging house would suddenly materialise. ‘I’ll tell you what,’ he proposed at length, ‘we’ll justfindthe place. I swear we won’t go in - we’ll leave that until tomorrow. And as soon as we get back, I’ll send a note to Harding and ask him to come with us first thing. But think how much time we’ll save if we can take him straight to it.’
Reluctantly, Percy acquiesced, and they began walking in the direction the barman had specified.
As they walked, Finn trailed behind them with Flossy. The boy made no bones about his disappointment over the lack of pickled eggs in the establishment they’d just left, sadly pronouncing himself fairstairvinin a voice that would have pulled at the heartstrings of a hardened criminal.
Both the Reverend and Percy, entirely accustomed to the boy’s incessant chatter, were paying no attention to his grumbles, busy watching for anything with a sign including the wordSail. Eventually, they broke free of the hodge podge of buildings, entering an open area that looked as though it had only recently been cleared. The Reverend guessed it had most likely been due to a fire since the ground was still blackened in places.
‘How much further do you want to go, Sir,’ Percy asked as they passed the makeshift shops and stalls that had sprung up in place of whatever had been there.
The Reverend sighed, admitting defeat. ‘We must be getting close to the Tobacco Dock, but you’re right Percy lad, time’s getting on. We’ll just have a quick look at that building over there, then we’ll turn back.’
The two men continued on, Finn trailing behind them still grumbling, but just as they could see that the building they were making for actually might be a lodging house, a sudden panicked shout from Finn got their attention.
‘Flossy!’
Startled, the two men watched as the little dog tore past them, dashing along the wharf before turning left onto the next jetty with Finn in hot pursuit.
‘Finn, stop,’ Percy yelled, lifting his cassock and giving chase.
‘Thunder an’ turf,’ the Reverend muttered, picking up his own robe and hurrying after them. Turning onto the jetty, he bellowed, ‘Flossy,stop right nowif you don’t want to end up in some Jack Tar’s deuced pot.’
The quay seemed to go forever, and Flossy didn’t appear to have any intention of stopping. What the devil was she after?’
And then she disappeared.
By the time Reverend Shackleford arrived, winded and gasping, the little dog was nowhere to be seen.
***
Mercy did not enjoy the opera, and on her previous seasons had always feigned a megrim or some other minor ailment to avoid having to sit through one. This time though, she was actually looking forward to it. Or rather she was looking forward to seeing Nate.
She’d wondered whether she would be embarrassed to face him again after the unexpected consequences of throwing herself at him in the garden. But the truth was, if the opportunity presented itself, she’d do the same thing again – though perhaps not quite so forcefully…
She gave a small chuckle as she climbed down from the carriage outside the King’s Theatre. This evening, Nate was meeting them in the foyer, though with the crush of people, she wondered if he’d even be able to find them. Holding onto her father’s arm, she stepped into the sumptuous, brightly lit lobby, filled to bursting members of theton, all dressed in their glittering best.
Given that several London theatres had already burned down due to the sheer number of candles alight, Mercy couldn’t help eying the dripping chandeliers above the crowded reception area a little anxiously. Surely it wasn’t necessary to have so many while it remained so light outside?
Putting her concerns aside, she looked round for Nate, finally spotting him at the other side of the room conversing with her Aunt Patience and Uncle Max. She couldn’t quite hide her surprise. To Mercy’s knowledge, her aunt hated the opera with a passion. Then she grinned. Clearly it was Patience and Max’s turn to babysit. She wished she’d been a fly on the roof of their carriage on the way here. Wedged in between her father and stepmother, Mercedes fought her way over, noting with a thrill, the exact moment Nate caught sight of her.
Her stomach did a little flip, and she felt a moment of true happiness. Then, seconds later, everything went to hell in a handcart.
Chapter Nineteen
Mercy’s first indication that something wasn’t quite right, was a slight tug on her reticule. Thinking she become tangled up with someone, she looked down, only to see a hand clamp itself tightly across her wrist. Heart constricting in sudden fear, she lifted her eyes to see who was on the other end of the almost skeletal fingers holding her in a death grip.
It was a man. She had time to notice he was well dressed before the crush of people around them hid him from her. Nevertheless, he didn’t let go of her wrist, despite Mercy’s frantic tugging. She shouted her father, but the noise surrounding them was such that he continued on without realising she was no longer with him. She looked behind for her stepmother, but Chastity had been driven to one side in the crush.
